It’s shockingly cold!!!

The temperatures continue to drop. How low can it go? Winter is far from over and the freezing cold temperatures are not letting up.Global warming? Maybe not. This YouTube video, “Jesus, make it warm”, went viral because everyone that watched it could relate to the feeling of desperation and frustration displayed. Out of the mouths of babes…

Let’s get into the details…

In part 1 and 2 of Dr. Reminga’s series, Cold Weather & Foot Pain, Dr. Reminga talked about cold weather affects to the body such as joint pain, and frostbite. In Part 3 of this series, Dr. Reminga, from Northern Foot Care Center, in Houghton, will address Raynaud’s Disease and Raynaud’s Syndrome.

What is Raynaud’s Disease?

Raynaud’s disease, also called Raynaud’s phenomenon, occurs most often in the fingers and toes. It is a reaction of the body to extremely cold temperatures. Stress can also be a factor with this disease. Dr. Reminga, from Northern Foot Care Center, in Houghton, tells us,

“Raynaud’s affects the blood vessels in the

extremities causing them to narrow and constrict

when feeling cold or stressed. When the blood vessels constrict, blood flow is limited and can’t reach the surface of the skin. When this happens, the affected skin turns white and blue. When blood flow

begins to return, the skin turns red and begins to throb

and tingle.” Dr. Reminga continues, “In extreme cases,

the loss of blood flow due to Raynaud’s disease, can

result in sores or tissue death. If tissue death occurs

gangrene can result.”

What causes Raynaud’s Disease?

The cause of Raynaud’s disease is not clear. It is thought to be related to an abnormality of the sympathetic nervous system. The research into Raynaud’s disease tells us that people who live in cold climates are more likely to develop the disease. Dr. Reminga says, “Raynaud’s disease is most commonly found in women more than men. People with a family history are more predisposed to the disease. Also, those over the age of 30 are most affected. While the percentage of occurrence is small, 4-5% of the United States population has been affected by Raynaud’s Disease.” Dr. Reminga lays out some risk factors that could contribute to the likelihood of contracting Raynaud’s Disease.

Treatment for Raynaud’s Disease

Most often a drug is prescribed to treat Raynaud’s Disease. Dr. Reminga, a board certified foot and ankle specialist, who has over 28 years of experience, says that drug medications are not the only way to treat Raynaud’s Disease. Dr. Reminga utilizes a proprietary treatment that is not a drug. This treatment has helped many of Dr. Reminga’s patients find relief from this unpleasant and uncomfortable disease. There are many benefits to this type of treatment in contrast to taking an oral medication. One of the benefits is that there are no drug to drug interactions when undergoing this proprietary treatment. Most pharmaceutical medications come with a long list of side affects. This treatment does not have any of these potentially harmful side effects. Dr. Reminga says, “We are pleased to be able to offer this treatment to our patients at Northern Foot Care Center. It is highly effective in treating Raynaud’s Disease.”

What can you do?

Avoid triggers such as stress and certain medications

Take extra care in keeping hands and feet warm in cold weather

Soak hands and feet in warm, not hot, water at the first signs of an attack